Electric lantern



A g- 9, 1939- L. M. WILEY 2,171,349

ELECTRIC LANTERN Filed July 20, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Lee A7. m'leg.

ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 29, 1939. L. M. WILEY ELECTRIC LANTERN Filed July 20, 1935 Z Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORN E Y5.

Dry CeLL Patented Aug. 29, 1939 UNITED STATES ELECTRIC LANTERN Lee M. Wiley, Marion Electric Company, a

Application July 20,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to electric lighting devices and more especiallyto lanterns adapted for use as signal lights.

The principal object of the invention is to improve the art of portable electric signal lanterns of the type which is operated by a dry cell.

Another object is to provide an improved type of signal lantern which may be set to give a steady or an intermittent flashing light.

A further object is to provide an improved switching mechanism for setting the lantern to give a steady light, an intermittent flashing light, and to turn off the lantern.

Another object is to provide in a lantern of the above type, a pair of circuits both adapted to energize an incandescent light bulb, one of said circuits including an interrupting means, and a switch mechanism for said circuits for selectively causing energization of either circuit to obtain steady or intermittent light or to turn off the lantern.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved reflector construction for signal lanterns.

Other objects, features and advantages will become apparent from the following description and appended claims.

For the purpose of illustrating the genus of the invention, a typical concrete embodiment of Sig-=- nal lantern is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a lantern constructlon made in accordance with the principles of this invention, parts being broken away to show interior details;

Fig. 2 is a similar view taken at right angles with respect to the view of Figure 1, parts being broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure2;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure l;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 66 of Figure 4;

Fig. 'l is an enlarged vertical section taken substantially on the line |-'l of Figure 4; and

Fig. 8 is a wiring diagram of the lantern circuits.

Referring to the drawings, and more especially to Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, 9. portable electric flasher lantern is shown which is adapted to be used as a traffic warning or similar danger signal device. The lantern comprises an upright cylin- Ind., assimor to Delta corporation of Indiana 1935, Serial No. 32,327

drical receptacle or casing it closed at its upper end I I and provided with a flared base l2 adapted to be detachably secured thereto by means of L shaped slots l3 and pins l4. A strap member l5 provided with a raised intermediate portion l8 5 is welded at II to the receptacle In so that the latter may be padlocked to an immovable object to prevent pilterage oi the lantern. A pair of outstanding ears 28 are provided on the strap member and a bail 2| is pivoted to the ears 20. 10 Switch mechanism, shown in detail in Figures 4 to 7, inclusive, and later to be described, is mounted within the upper end of the reoetacle Ill and supported from the upper end closure II by means of a plurality of screws 22. Adjacent 15 its upper end, the-receptacle i0 is provided with a switch slot 24 through which projects a switch actuator button 23 illustrated in oil position in Figs. 1 and 2. For steady burning or the lantern, the switch actuator button 22 is shifted to the left side of switch slot 24 and when flashing is desired the switch button 23 is shifted to the right side of slot 24.

The central portion of the upper end closure l i is pressed outwardly to form a partially cylindrical saddle seat 25 on which is supported a hollow cylindrical or tubular lamp housing 26 secured to the upper end closure ll of receptacle ill as by welding. The margins of the laterally directed open ends of the tubular member 26 are 30 offset slightly in a radially outward direction as indicated at 21. Seated within the recesses provided by ofiset portions 21 are a pair of concave reflectors 30, preferably parabolic in curvature and having the inner end portions thereof cut off on planes normal to the axis of the reflectors and approximately intercepting the principal locus of each reflector. Each reflector Ill is provided with a central opening 3| at the inner end thereof and the margins of these openings are arranged in abutting relation, the length of the cylindrical housing 26 being such that with the reflectors in the positions indicated in Fig. 2, the

' outer marginal edges of the reflectors will be seated within the recesses provided by the offset portions 21.

As indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, a socket 24 projects through slots 32 in the reflectors and is riveted to a lower central portion of the lamp housing 2% and the central portion of the saddle 25 of the upper end closure H of the receptacle. The socket extends upwardly so that a bulb 33 will be positioned centrally within the lamp housing 26 as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. Slots 35,

similar to slots 32; are also cut in the reflectors l6 the lantern in directions normal to the main beams cast by the lantern. Curved backing plate members 8% provided with openings 5|, corresponding with the openings 3b in the sides of the lamp housing 26, are fastened by means of rivets Q2 and 43 to the lamp housing in order to hold a lens material 4 3 between the. backing plates and lamp housing and across the openings 35. The lens material Ml is preferably in the form of colored, flexible and transparent material such as red sheet celluloid and the like. The rivets 63 also serve to secure a visor member 65 to the top or the lamp housing 26. At the lateral margin of the backing plates til, radially outwardly extending I ears as are provided and extended through suitable slots in the lamp housing 26 for the purposeof securing rims ll to the lamp housing 26. The rims 617 are also provided with ears l8, and screws '50 are projected through the ears 68 and threaded into the ears to ior securing the rims Iii, transparent lens 58 and washers 52 to vent water entering the receptacle in the event of exposure of the lamp to rains. A rubber gasket I9 is interposed between each of the side lenses M and the lamp housing 26 for the same purpose. A plurality of holes 28' are provided in the bottom of the base if? outside the confines of a cup 28 secured to said base for positively locating a dry cell in position and to keep such dry cell dry in the event that water should enter the dry cell receptacle either from the top or bottom. The holes 2i serve to drain water from the receptacle.

Reference may now be had to Figs. 4 to 8, inelusive, which depict the construction and arrangement of the switching mechanism secured to the upper end closure it 01 battery receptacle It by means of the screws 22. The switch mechanism comprises an insulator plate 53 which serves as the base of the switching mechanism and has riveted thereto three support posts 556' internally threaded at their upper end as indicated at 55 for the reception of the securing screws 22. Tightening these screws brings the support posts 53 tightly into engagement with the upper end closure it so as to render the receptacle waterproof at these points. An annular contact plate 56 is fixed to the bottom surface of the insulating base 53 and is adapted to contact a leaf spring terminal 57 of a dry cell on disposed within the receptacle it. The annular or ring contact 56 is secured to the insulating base 53 by means of rivets Mi, one of whichconductlvely engages a union ti, electrically connected, as indicated in the lower half of Fig. 4, to one of the support posts 5% so that the ring contact 561s grounded to the receptacle it through a rivet till, union 5i and a support post 56 and its securing screw 22. A contact disc or is centrally fixed by means of a rivet 83 to the bottom surface of the insulating base 53 in spaced relation with respect to the annular or ring contact 56. The rivet 63 or contact disc 62 is adapted to en-. gage the central terminal 66 of dry cell 58. A

of support at.

airman spacer disc as, of conductive material, is arranged about the intermediate portion of rivet 6d and is adapted to engage a switch arm as securel by means of rivets d! to a rotatable insulating plate 30. The insulating plate l0 and switch arm 66 are adapted to be rotated by means of a manual actuator arm ll secured to the insulating plate iii by means of rivets l2 and provided at its As indicated best in Fig. 7, the switch-arm 66 is adapted to engage either of two switch clips M or 15 or to lie therebetween, the switch clips being fixed to the insulating base 53 by rivets it and ii. I'he rivets l6 and i1 each secure a support member 88 or M to the insulating base 53 and in electrically,conductingrelation with respect to the switch clips it and 15, respectively. The support 80 includes a horizontally disp sed portion 82 oiiset with respect to the insula ing base 63 and arranged above the switch clip is. The support 88 includes a similar ofiset portion 83 spaced at a lesser elevation above the insulating base 53, a vertically arranged portion 88 extending in back of and adjacent the ofiset portion 82 and a forwardly directed portion 85 extending horizontally above the offset portion 82 The offset portions 82 and 85 of supports so and 8! are secured against relative movement with respect to each other. by means or a rivet as insulated with respect to the portion 35 oi support at by means of insulators as and 9d. The portion 82 of support so is threaded adjacent its free end for reception of an adjustment screw 99 provided with a contact $2 at its lower end, the adjustment screw also being threaded to the insulator 9d so that the latter locks the screw against undesired rotation to prevent the contact 32 from being thrown out of adjustment.

A thermally responsive element 93 is secured at one end by means of a rivet Ql to the portion 33 of support 8!. The thermally responsive element 58 comprises a pair of metallic strips 95 and 96 of such character that the coemient of expansion of the upper strip 95 is greater than that of the lower strip 96. The strips Q5 and 96 are secured together at one end by means of the rivet 9 3 and at the other end by means of a contact 9i. heated, the strip element 95 will have a greater linear expansion than the strip 98 and cause the element 93 to bow downwardly a slight amount with reference to its fixed end and cause the contact or to separate from the contact 52. As the temperature of the thermally responsive element t3 decreases the element 93 will straighten and contact ill will again engage the contact 92. The adjustment screw 96 permits setting of contact 92'to adjust the temperatures at which make and break of the contacts 92 and 9'8 will occur. A heating coil Mil making electrical contact with the thermally responsive. element 93 only at the end l0! thereof is wound about the element 93 and is provided with a conductor I62 leading to a binding post 33. The union Si is provided with a leaf or spring contact I having an angular cam-engaging portion 1'5, the leaf contact 504 extending to a point adjacent but normally spaced As the strip elements 55 and 95 are.

from the binding post I03, as indicated in Fig. 4. The manual actuator arm H is provided with a cam portion I05 cooperable wlththe cam-engaging portion )5 when insulator plate 10 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction from the position indicated in Fig. 4 to deflect the leaf contact I04 and bring its free end into engagement with the binding post 103 so as to complete the circuit between the union GI and binding post M3 connected by conductor I02 with the heating coil Hill. The leaf or spring contact HM serves as a switch arm of the switch mechanism and. cooperates with binding post I03 serving as a switch contact to complete a circuit including these elements. The switch clip '15 is also provided with a leaf contact 101 extending upwardly and then horizontally to a point spaced above the rivet 83, as indicated in Figs. 4, 5 and =8. A contact plug I08 is arranged within the bulb soclret 36 and insulated therefrom by means of an insulator I08.

Reference may now be had also to 3 in which the switch parts illustrated in Figs. 4 to 'l are indicated diagrammatically and designated by the same numerals, and the operation oi? the switch mechanism will be described. with the switch parts in the positions indicated in Figs. ti to 8 no circuit is completed through the dry cell and through the filament of bulb 33 so that the lantern is switched off and the bulb $3 is not energized. Rotation of theinsulator plate 10 by the manual actuator arm H and actuator button 23 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 4 to 8 and from above the lantern positioned as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, causes the switch arm 66 to contact the switch clip 15 completing the circult through the dry cell 58, grounded at one side by means of the conductive support post 53 to the casing Hi as-indioated at Hi", through dry cell terminal 84, disc contact 32 and rivet 63, switch arm 66, switch clip 15, leaf conductor I01, plug contact I08, the filament of bulb 33 and socket 34, which is grounded to the lantern receptacle casing ID as indicated at H)" in Fig. 8. -l"nis completes the circuit for steady light. The cam W5 does not force the leaf contact 103 into engagement with the binding post I03 with the switch arm either disengaged from switch clips '14 and 15 orin contact with the switch clip 15 so that the heater coil of the thermally responsive element 93 of the interrupting mechanism is not energised. The rotation of the insulator plate 10 by means of the manual actuator arm ii and switch button 23 in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 4 to 8 or from above the lantern as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 causes the switch arm 68 to engage the switch clip I4 and also brings the cam it into engagement with the portion Hi5 of the leaf spring contact I04 forcing the latter into engagement with the binding post 5.33. Such rotation of the insulator plate ID of the switching mechanism completes the circuit from the ground ill, through the support post 54, cell ter minal 51, dry cell 58, terminal 64, disc contact rivet 53, switch arm til, switch clip l" 1 member 80, contact 92, contact li'l, sponsive element 93, support elemen l, or ing contact Gill, plug ltd, the filament of light bracket 36 to the ground W".

This circuit is intermittently inte to the fact that the cam W8 forces Hi3 into engagement with the binding that a circuit is also closed from the dry cell terminal 51, grounded by means of the support post 54 to the casing ill, as indicated at M,

broken the coil and through the ring contact 56, rivet 80, union 6|, leaf contact HM, binding post Hi3, conductor Hi2, coil Hi0, contacts 91 and 92, support member 80, switch clip 14, switch arm 68, rivet S3, disc contact 82 to the dry cell terminal M. The lat-' ter circuit causes energization of the heating coil Hi8 so that the thermally responsive element 95 becomes heated causing greater linear expansion of the strip element 95 thereof than that of the leaf 98 so that the contact 8'! separates from the contact 92 breaking both the circuits through the heating coil 9M and thrcwh the filament oi light bulb 33 3. sis soon as lei) and th element 93 cool down so that co brought into engagement co pleting the circuit through the l and through the filament bi peated engagement and disengagement oi the contacts 91 and till energizes and cleener the 255- heating coil Hit and the filament of l causing the lantern to give an internal terrupted light as the thermally responsive element 93 is heated or allowed to cool.

It will be noted that in accordance with the above arrangement of circuits, the full voltage of the dry cell is applied across the lamp bulb regardless of whether switch bl: is positioned to produce a steady or an intermittent light. This is of particular importance in view of the fact that the voltage of commercial dry cells is quite limited. If the lamp bulb and heating coil ml! were connected in series in the flasher circuit, the lighting, as well as the heating efiect would be seriously impaired, and the lamp would be brighter when arranged for a steady or constant light than when adjusted to dash intermittently.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely di'ldo ferent embodiments of this invention could be had without departing from the spirit thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In a lantern, an electric lamp bulb, an electric dry cell, a. switch supporting plate, a single pole double throw switch arm carried by said plate, a pair of contacts adapted for alternative engagement by said arm to complete alternative circuits, one circuit being an uninterrupted clrcuit containing the lamp bulb, the dry cell, the switch arm and one of said contacts in series and the other circuit containing the lamp bulb,.the dry cell, the switch arm, the other contact and a current interrupter in series, said interrupter being of the responsive type and having a pair of separable contacts, so a heating circuit for said interrupter connected in series with the interrupter contacts, and means mechanically operated from said switch for breaking the heating circuit when switch arm is moved toward said one col act. 2. hi a lantern, an electric lamp bulb, .1, electric dry cell, an interrupter of sponsive type having a heating oi sizing the same, and a so said element for establishing clrl, iitthrough said dry cell and said lamp and a shunt around said lamp and through said interrupter heating circuit, said interrupter being in series with said last mentioned lamp circuit and said heating circuit whereby on energization it will intermittently interrupt said last mentioned lamp circuit,

3. In a lantern, in combination, an electric light bulb, an electric dry cell, a, pair of circuits each including said bulb and said dry cell,

'one of said circuits including a bent responsive when the other of said circuits is energized.

LEEM.W'ILEY. 

